Ceuta: Madrid to transfer 500 vulnerable youths to mainland

Spanish officials are planning to transfer around 500 particularly vulnerable unaccompanied youths from Ceuta, a Spanish exclave in North Africa, to mainland Spain. The Ministry of Youth and Children has devised a system to place these minors, especially girls, in adapted facilities and foster homes on the mainland without transferring custody to regional authorities.

Spain's Migration Minister Elma Saiz revealed that Madrid is coordinating with Ceuta and regional governments to implement the transfer and ensure the children's well-being in foster care. UNICEF Spain's Lara Contreras highlighted that 97% of the selected girls have already been relocated to better facilities and will be transferred promptly.

The children, aged between 9 and 17, were among the approximately 80,000 migrants who entered Ceuta from Morocco on July 30, seeking a better life in Europe. Although most migrants have since returned to Morocco, around 5,000 individuals remain in Ceuta. Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska recently stated that approximately 2,168 unaccompanied minors have been identified as living on the streets since the border crossing and have been handed over to local authorities on July 30.